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Devil (Islam)
In Islam, the Devil is known as ( ) or ( ) (plural: ). According to the Qurʾān, God created Iblis out of "smokeless fire" (along with all of the other jinn) and created man out of clay. The primary characteristic of the Devil, besides hubris, is that he has no power other than the power to cast evil suggestions into the heart of men, women, and jinn, although the Qurʾān does mention appointing jinn to assist those who are far from God in a general context. "We made the Shayatin (devils) (protectors and helpers) for those who believe not." ( , Chapter #7, Verse #27) Namings and etymology Muslims traditionally derived the name from the Arabic verbal root , meaning "he despaired"; therefore, the meaning of would be "he/it that causes despair".Iblis "Shayṭān" "Satan" ( , from the root ) is both a noun and an adjective. As a noun it means "mischief" and as an adjective it means "adversarial," "opposing," or "evil." In popular Islamic culture, Shaitan is often simply translated as "The Devil," but can refer to any of the beings who rebelled against God. Shaytan has a similar meaning and origin to the English word Satan. The Devil in Islamic theology According to ''The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, shaytan is used in the "in both the singular and the plural, often interchangeably with Iblis" who is "considered to be a particular shaytan".Esposito, Oxford Dictionary of Islam, 2003, p.279 According to basic Islamic teachings, God created at least three intelligent races: angels, jinns, and humans, of which the latter two have been granted free will to choose between good and evil. Iblis was a jinn and a devoted servant of God, according to the Qur’an. However, according to other non-Qurʾānic sources he was a "disobedient angel".Glasse, Cyril, The New Encyclopedia of Islam, Altamira, 2001, p.189 The angels do not have free will and simply do not sin because they were not granted the freedom by God to disobey. When God created Adam (see Islamic view of Adam), He commanded all the angels and Iblis (whose rank allowed him to be considered equal to that of an angel) to prostrate to Adam as was termed "the Best of Creation". All the angels did so. The jinni Iblis refused to obey, and was brought in to a state of rebellion against Allah. For this Allah cast him out of the Garden, and intended to punish him. Iblis begged Allah to delay the punishment until the Last Day (the Day of Judgment): this Allah granted, as He is Most Merciful ( ). }} Iblis was proud and arrogant and considered himself superior to Adam, since Adam was made from clay and Iblis was created from smokeless fire. For this act of disobedience, God cursed him to Hell for eternity, but gave him respite until the Day of Judgment ( ), after Iblis requested it. Iblis obtained permission from God and vowed that he would use this time to lead all human men and women astray to Hell as a way of revenge against them. By refusing to obey God’s order he was thrown out of Paradise and thereafter he was called "Shaitan". }} Although God grants the request, He also warns the Shayṭān that he would have no authority over His sincere ‘ubūd "devoted servants". }} Shaytan as a "Whisperer" In Islamic theology, the Shaytan and his minions are "whisperers", who whisper into the hearts of men and women, urging them to commit sin. This is where the desire to sin comes from, according to Islam. The Qurʾān provides a supplication for mankind, aimed at fighting the tempting of ash-Shaytan and his minions: }} References Category:Demons in Islam Category:Islamic mythology Category:Satan ar:الشيطان في الإسلام bs:Iblis bg:Шейтан de:Iblis eo:Ibliso fa:ابلیس fr:Iblis id:Iblis it:Iblīs kk:Ібіліс hu:Iblísz ms:Iblis pt:Iblis ru:Шайтан sr:Шејтан sv:Iblis tr:İblis uk:Ібліс ur:ابلیس